


Split Chain

by LetoaSai



Series: Secrets [13]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Childhood Memories, M/M, Memories, Memory Magic, Protective Parents, Sequel, memory witch, split lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:42:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27159490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetoaSai/pseuds/LetoaSai
Summary: Ventus getting his childhood memories back thanks to Naminé should have been a happy occasion. No one could have foreseen the effects it would have on Vanitas.
Relationships: Cloud/Leon (Kingdom Hearts), Leon (Kingdom Hearts)/Squall Leonhart/Cloud Strife
Series: Secrets [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593604
Comments: 26
Kudos: 72





	Split Chain

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own KH

Cloud and Squall had tried to give Naminé space while she worked but it was hard. Both of them stood in the dimly lit room, their backs pressed against the far wall as she loomed over Ventus, her eyes closed. 

It had been nearly a month since Squall’s memories were restored and now it was Ventus’ turn. Naminé finally had everything straightened out. She told all three of them from the start that the memories would be hazy. Not many people remembered they’re early childhood clearly and Ventus had only been five years old when his were wiped away the first time.

Is was only the memories of his early childhood that Cosmos had been able to collect. Once he'd falling through the void, he was lost to her too. 

There were definitely a few clear memories, however, and some would be better than nothing. Ventus had still wanted them back so they’d proceeded to the next step. 

It was the easiest for Naminé to reconnect the chains while Ventus was sleeping, so he’d stayed the night at Merlin’s house for the witch to work. His fathers’ watched over him the entire time. Both knew it would take some time, and he’d sleep through most of it. That hadn't mattered. They were going to be there. 

“He’ll remember us.” Squall muttered. “At least somewhat.” 

“Hopefully he won’t remember some of the more scary moments.” Cloud muttered. A war zone was still a war zone. No matter how normal they’d attempted to make things for the boy.

Squall leaned a little closer, his shoulder pressed into Cloud’s. “Anything memories will be okay. Ventus was always a clever, happy kid.” 

He’d still had far too much trauma and they hoped he could have this one thing. A few answers. There would still be a gap in his memories. His time with Xehanort was distorted but those may have been better off forgotten. 

They watched Naminé closely, but there was nothing really to see. She sat in a chair by Ventus’ bed, leaning closer to loosely hold his hand. Her own eyes were closed in concentration. There was no light, no visible magic, no performance for lack of a better word. All of Naminé’s finely honed skills were internal beyond the scattered pictures across the floor she’d dropped at some point. All of them done in crayon or colored pencil. 

She’d been working so hard for them and they hardly knew how to repay her. Naminé was a gift and there was just enough Sora in her that Cloud was selfishly thinking about claiming her too. Why shouldn’t she have a family like everyone else? 

Though at this point, Aerith had practically adopted her so it may have already been taken care of. 

“I’m nearly done.” She whispered, likely for their benefit. It didn’t matter to them though, they’d stand there all night if they needed too. When Ventus woke up, they wanted to be there. They didn’t want to feel like they’d failed their oldest child again. 

She’d only just sighed, perhaps alluding to her job finally being done when a scream tore through the house. 

Both Cloud and Squall jerked, eyes on their child but Ventus was still asleep, peacefully unaware of what was going on around him despite the way he shifted. 

Naminé stood so fast, the chair behind her toppled over. Her hands went to her mouth in horror. “Vanitas!” 

Both men inhaled sharply, Squall grabbing Cloud’s shoulder when he began to move to shove him back towards the bed. 

“No. Stay with Ven. I’ll take Vanitas.” He didn’t wait to see if Cloud would agree or argue. It didn’t really matter. He threw open the bedroom door and was immediately disoriented when he wasn’t in the hallway. 

Merlin’s magic house always seemed to know. Rooms were created to fit the amount of occupants in the house. Outside was a quaint looking cottage and inside was a huge kitchen, a bigger living room, a work room for committee meetings and at least a dozen bedrooms. 

The house itself always seemed to know, and thus it had created a shortcut. The door opened up right into Vanitas’ bedroom. The dark hair’s boy on the floor as if he’d rolled right out of bed. The open book stolen from one of Merlin's shelves on his sheets said he’d been very much awake and that was where the problem began. 

“Vanitas.” Squall wasted no time going to him, bending down to help him up. “Vanitas, what happened?"

“Take them back!” he screamed, pulling away from Squall and falling back into the floor with a hard thud. He held his head, tears pouring down his face. “Take them back!!” 

Naminé stood trembling in the doorway between the two rooms. “I..i messed up.” she was almost in tears herself. “I didn’t realize…” 

“Get them out!” Vanitas howled. “I’m not… I’m not….!” 

“What happened?” Squall asked quickly, grabbing Vanitas to keep him from slamming his forehead into his bedside table. Unversed began appearing one by one, all of them strangely disoriented. 

“Ventus and Vanitas were the same person.” Naminé answered, voice shaking. “I didn’t consider that these memories technically belong to both of them.” 

“I’m not Ventus!” Vanitas sucked in air painful and kept shaking his head as if that would dislodge whatever memories he was stuck in. “I’m not! I’m not! Take them back!” His voice broke into a sob and he dropped hard against the floor.

Squall grabbed him again, drawing him to his chest to hug. In a better world he could have hoped that the hug would soothe him a little, but the hold on him was necessary. Vanitas was all too happy to keep slamming himself into the floor. 

All Squall could think of was how badly Cloud had reacted when his memories of Sora had returned. How close to the edge he’d been before the full blown melt down had finally broken free. Vanitas’ howls of pain sounded just like Cloud’s. 

“Of course you're not Ventus. You’re Vanitas. You are my son, do you hear me?”

“I’m not him! I’m not! It’s not true!” Vanitas struggled to get away, but he never lifted his forehead for Squall’s shoulder. “I’m not Ventus!”

“No you’re not.” Squall agreed, holding him in a vise of a grip. “And that's okay. You don’t have to be.” 

“Take them back!” Two of his unversed started fighting. The scrappers went at each other full force, Naminé leaping back into Ventus’ room to be out of the way. It was a quick fight, but when one got a hold of the other and ripped it apart, Vanitas screamed, two more unversed appearing. 

Three more unversed prepared to brawl when the room went cold. Squall threw out a little unraveled magic of his own, freezing all of the unversed in place but not destroying them. 

“Make it stop!” Vanitas begged, gripping his own hair painfully. 

“Shh…” Squall held him tight. “It will be alright. You’re still right here and i have you.” 

Vanitas was still getting to know himself. The Vanitas that wasn’t Xehanort’s puppet. He liked Sora and Naminé. He was getting used to having two men consider themselves his parents. He was actively spending time with Roxas and Xion when they were here too. 

Ventus. He and Ventus could have a conversation without it ending up in a fight. All of that progress was on the line now. 

Ventus had wanted his childhood memories back. Vanitas had never once considered having childhood memories because he’d never been a child. He had however, been a part of Ventus. 

“I don’t want them! I don’t want them!” Vanitas was a wreck, his complexion chalky and his skin covered in sweat. Despite the crying his eyes were huge and petrified. “I’m.... Who am i supposed to be?” 

“Hey.” Squall snapped, getting his attention. “You are my son. You are Vanitas. I wish we had had you when you were small. All of your memories would have been similar to Ventus’ anyway.” 

Vanitas stared up at him, face damp as shaky sobs still escaped his throat. He was stuck in Ventus’ five year old memories. “Daddy make them stop.” He whispered, sounding afraid. 

Squall held the back of his head, pressing Vanitas’ face against his shoulder. “I love you, kid. I love you because you’re you, not because you’re Ventus.” 

Vanitas slumped, exhausted and afraid. He cried against Squall’s shoulder, curling up to be as small as possible. A smaller target. His time with Xehanort had taught him that. The smaller the target, the less likely he was of hurting worse.

Squall just held him though, one arm around his shoulders and the other petting his hair. 

“What can we do?” Cloud asked softly, standing halfway between Ventus’ bed and the door. He could just see Squall inside holding their child of darkness. 

“The memories were raw.” Naminé said, clearing her throat from her own subdued crying. “It’s why it’s better when they’re asleep.” She inhaled slowly and continued. “Right now Ventus is shifting through all of his own memories like a dream. Categorizing them and… sort of clinging to his favorites. In the morning they’ll be more faded and muted. He’ll remember then but it won’t be like they were yesterday. It’s more like how everyone remembers their childhood. Old glimpses attached to feelings.” 

She was wiping at her face and Cloud moved to stand beside her, hand on her shoulder. 

“I messed up.” She hiccuped. 

“No.” Cloud said, pulled her against his chest. She turned automatically into the comfort and started crying anew. Cloud just rubbed her back and tried to figure out how to fix this mess. “No one could do what you’ve done. Not even the Goddess of Harmony. We all should have realized this could happen, not just you.” 

“So many happy memories, but they still give him so much pain.” Naminé pressed her face against his chest. 

“Yeah, i know what an identity crisis looks like.” Cloud muttered, wishing he could comfort her better. “Will they fade for him too?” 

Naminé sniffed, pulling away from Cloud but she looked like she was thinking hard. “Maybe. Maybe we can try to reset him. If we can get him to fall asleep the memories will fade like they will in Ventus.” She wiped roughly at her face. “I think i could get him to sleep, but it’s strong magic. If i mess up again he might sleep for a year like Sora did.” 

“What’s best or him?” Cloud asked. “Sleeping, or riding this out?”

She glanced back into the room with him. Vanitas seemed inconsolable. Clinging to Squall and begging him to make it better like a child running to their parents room after a nightmare. 

She was shaking as she nodded. “He should sleep.” 

“And you can do it.” Cloud said softly. “Take a deep breath and don’t worry about messing up.” 

She nodded, stepping back into Vanitas’ room. She was struck by the sadness. Vanitas couldn’t handle the memories of being ‘Ventus’ but they had chased him into his father's arm. Squall rocked him, promising him he was loved and that everything would be okay. Still freezing every new unversed that appeared in his cycle of pain.

“Please…” Vanitas cried. 

“I have you.” Squall promised, holding on even as Naminé reached out to place her hand over Vanitas’ eyes. 

She took a deep breath, focusing on Vanitas and what was needed. The sleep spell passed into him but he didn’t just drop right off. Naminé pulled away from him, watching his breathing slowly steady as he drifted off to sleep so gently that it could have been mistaken for natural sleep. 

His face was tear stained, but his body sagged against Squall, relieved that every memory of a childhood that wasn’t exactly his could finally stop. 

“Thank you, Naminé.” Squall muttered, swallowing down his own worry. Even being encased in ice didn’t stop the unversed from disappearing once Vanitas was in a calmer state. It was one less thing to worry about as Squall banished his ice from the room. 

She was still hesitant. “Hopefully he’ll feel better when he wakes up.” 

“Hopefully they both will.” Squall said, lifting Vanitas into his arms. The boy really did look like Sora. Even more so in his sleep. He sat on Vanitas’ bed with him and could see Cloud sitting on the edge of Ventus’ bed through the open door. 

Neither one of them would be getting any sleep tonight. 

~

Ventus woke up sluggish, his eyes refusing to open. His bed was warm and comfortable and he really didn’t feel like moving if he didn’t have to. There was something nice about laying there. He appreciated it all the more after ten years asleep in a horrible position.

He couldn’t remember what he’d been dreaming about but he couldn’t help but think something about it was unsettling. It made him even more pleased to be awake and not have to deal with it. He was free to think about anything he wanted in his groggy, between state. 

“Good morning.” 

Ventus’ eyes slit opened and he smiled a little when he saw Cloud leaning against the window frame. “Morning papa.” He yawned, feeling hazy. “What’s dragged you over this early?” 

Cloud pushed off from the wall to come closer. There was something nice about seeing him barefoot with no sword in sight. Even Cloud could have a relaxing morning. He sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed back Ventus’ hair. 

“How do you feel?”

“Tired? Fine?” Ventus offered. “Why?” he tensed just a little. “Did something happen? Where daddy?” 

Cloud held up a hand to calm him. “He’s fine. Everyone’s fine.” he inhaled softly. “Do you know where you are?” 

Ventus blinked, the question making him sit up slowly and look around. He wasn’t sure where he expected to be but it wasn’t….here? 

It wasn’t his room. His room was blue and white and Cosmos had hung up little twinkle lights for him. The thought just confused him. 

Green. His room was green and brown in the Land of Departure. That was his room now. Not a blue and white room...

This was… “Merlin’s house?” He said it like a question but Cloud nodded. He didn’t… understand.

“Yeah.” Cloud agreed with a faint smile. 

“Everything's… a little hazy.” 

“I can imagine.” Cloud said. “Let’s start with something else.” He was thoughtful for a moment and it gave Ventus plenty of time to worry. What was wrong with him? “Do you remember your middle name?” 

Ventus offered a one sided shrug. “Eclipse.” 

Cloud’s smile grew a little. “Do you remember Sora?” 

“What kind of question is that?” Ventus breathed out a laugh. “Of course i remember Sora. Best little brother ever.” 

“Yeah.” Cloud reached to take his hand and squeeze it. “When did you met your little brother?” 

Memories collided once the answer wasn’t forthcoming. He’d felt like he’d known Sora his entire life but that wasn’t really the case. Not at all. He’d been asleep that last decade. 

Ventus held onto Cloud’s hand tightly, thoughts warring to correct themselves. He remembered growing up in the middle of a war. Remembered all of the adults in his life being the fiercest of warriors and he’d wanted to be just like them. 

He remembered the days he was frightened when one of them would come back badly injured and would need several days of rest and healing before they inevitable went out into the war again. His throat started to hurt, just thinking of how many times he’d wished his daddies well and made them promise to come back again safe. There were more then one occasion where he’d watched them leave and burst into tears the second they were out of view. 

Cosmos would hold his hand and promise everything would be okay. He realized suddenly that those were promises she couldn’t have possibly kept. 

He remembered his daddy holding him, his cheek resting against Squall’s shoulder as he rocked him. The slow back and forth motion was the most soothing thing in the world. Even when he was really too big to be picked up, Squall did it anyway. 

There were nights when a nightmare would be just too scary and he’d climb into bed with his dad’s. Cloud had always promised to keep the nightmares away and as far as Ventus would recall, he always did. 

They were so soft with him, gentle parents when they had to be nothing but hardened warriors the rest of the day. One vivid memory was of a picnic. A little time the family of three had stolen for themselves and Ventus could almost feel the pain in his cheeks from how hard he’d been smiling that day. 

He remembered being scared when they were separated. He’d been so terrified of the silver haired manic that had snatched him. He didn’t recall anything Sephiroth had actually said to him but he felt the fear still swirling in his belly. Biting him to be put down wasn’t a very pleasant memory either. 

The impact he’d made with the ground when Sephrioth flung him away had broken his arm, but then Cloud had been right there. He’d hovered over him protectively and threw himself at Sephiroth to fight. 

Ventus hadn’t seen the fight. He was crying, and his arm had hurt and Squall was just _there_. Carrying him away back to safety and promising he’d be okay. At the time he’d been so relieved to be safe with his daddies that he hadn’t even noticed their own terror. 

Memories of Laguna had flooded his mind. His grandpa had been the most loving, loudest, most cheerful influence. He’d promised the war wouldn’t be forever. Someday they would be a proper family and wouldn’t have so many scary worries. He would ride around on Laguna’s shoulders and relished in the idea of being the tallest. His grandpa came up with the strangest games, but each of them had been fun. 

The manikin’s he’d been fighting only weeks ago suddenly seemed so much more frightening in his memories. They were never ending, at least that’s what it had felt like. 

Ventus remembered falling…

Stepping into the void had been an accident. It was like it had appeared under his feet and he just sank. He remembered his parents screaming, remembered Squall diving for him, trying to take his hand. Falling had been the most terrifying thing he’d ever been through, worse because he knew his dad’s couldn’t get to him. 

He remembered….forgetting. 

Ventus’ grip on Cloud’s hand was shaking. A hiccup escaped his lips before he was openly crying. 

“Papa…” 

“Oh, Ven…” Cloud scooted closer, drawing him into his arm and holding him for all it was worth. “Ven, i’m so sorry.” 

“Papa…” Ventus swallowed thickly. “Papa!” 

It was one thing to be told he had parents, and another to remember the men who had brought him into the world. He’d been thrilled that he had parents, that they seemed to be good people no matter the strange circumstances. It had been exciting and emotional…. But those emotions had nothing one that he was feeling now. 

He had his papa _back_. He remembered being tucked in for bed. He remembered the forehead kisses and being told he was loved. He would brush Cloud’s hair, and play games and whenever he was tired he could just raise his arms and he’d be picked up. It wasn’t just the idea of parents. It was _his_ parents.

“I’m right here.” Cloud spoke quietly. “Oh Ven, i’m never losing you again.” 

Cloud had been looking for him. Squall had tried to follow him. He thought his heart would just burst. They were together again. 

Ventus cried, face buried against Cloud’s shoulder and feeling so ridiculously protected. For the first time in his life he felt truly safe. They were together and the war was over. It had been over for a long time. 

“I was so...scared…” Ventus whispered, voice thick. “When i… When i fell.” 

Cloud’s grip just tightened. “So was i.” He held Ventus close, falling into an old habit of rocking him which jerked Ventus right back to the present as if it reminded him. 

“Dad! Where’s dad?” Logically, he knew Squall was fine. He’d only seen him the day before. He’d been spending a great deal of time with his parents the last few weeks but the urge to see him now was huge. 

“He’s here.” Cloud said, smoothing his hair back again. “There was a bit of a problem last night.” 

“Problem?” 

Cloud hummed softly, that noise that said he really didn’t want to talk about this. “Last night while your memories were returning, they returned to Vanitas as well. He had not been prepped to received them like you were and… reacted badly. Squall’s sitting with him.” 

Ventus felt his grief fall into his stomach. Couldn’t Vanitas ever catch a break? “He has memories of you too…” he let that swirl around in his mind. It made… sense. They’d been the same person at the time. Vanitas was Ventus too… Or they were both Vanitas… Or… Neither of them was the original Ventus. 

His head hurt just thinking about it. “I wanna see them.” he sniffed. “I want to see them.” 

“You can.” Cloud said, helping him get up. When it was clear That Ventus was still too shaking to do all the walking himself, Cloud just wrapped an arm around him. They took their time, and Cloud knocked before entering Vanitas’ room. 

The boy was still asleep and Naminé had finally worried herself to sleep too, curled up on the foot of his bed. Squall had been sitting in a chair but stood the moment the door opened. 

“Ven…” 

“Daddy…” Ventus muttered, his five year old memories still fresh. He took a step into the room and Squall was suddenly there, lifting him off his feet and holding him. 

“Ventus…” Squall choked back his own emotion but clung all the same. He really was too big to be held like this, but Squall had never cared about that. 

Ventus fiercely clung to the idea of being spoiled a little. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry i couldn’t get to you in time.” Squall spoke quietly. 

“I’m sorry i fell.” Ventus whispered back. 

Squall made a noise. “No. No that was not your fault. We were supposed to protect you.” 

“You did.” Ventus had his arms wrapped around Squall’s neck. A child wouldn’t have understood, but he did now. No one could protect someone from everything. It was impossible. All you could do was try and his parents had tried. They’d fought for him. 

“Not well enough.” 

“Doesn't matter.” Ventus muttered, not wanting to let go. “I love you dad.”

Squall sounded like all the air had been punched out of him. “I love you too, Ven.” 

The watery smile on Ventus’ lips appeared fast and he held tight to the feeling. When he’d been falling, he didn’t think he’d ever see his dads again, but here they were. 

He turned, wanting to tell Cloud he loved him too and paused when he watched Cloud bent over Vanitas, checking his vitals and overall condition. 

Vanitas. His Other. 

Ventus wiggled until Squall had to choice but to set him back on his feet. “Is Vani going to be okay?”

“We hope so.” Cloud offered, not wanting to lie. “Apparently you sleep through the process for a reason.” 

“Naminé seems to think he’ll do better being asleep for a little while,” Squall added, hand on Ventus’ shoulder. 

Asleep, Vanitas could have easily been mistaken for Sora. He didn’t look like an evil puppet. He didn’t look like the boy Ventus had once been so afraid of. He seemed peaceful and Ventus found those abnormal feelings swirling again. His memories weren’t all good, but there _were_ so many good memories. Vanitas had nothing before Xehanort. 

He suddenly wanted nothing more than to share those early childhood memories with him. He was entitled to them too. He deserved to know their dads loved them. 

“Good.” Ventus whispered, exhausted despite just waking up. He let Squall lead him into the room and he dropped heavily into the chair. He’d wait too, wait for Vanitas to wake up. They had more things they could share now. 

“Grandpa was right.” Ventus muttered after a pause, gaining both his parents attention. “We’re gonna be a proper family.” 

~

Vanita’s eyes opened, light shining into his room. He felt...heavy. Like there was a weight on him. It was very reminiscent of waking up the morning after Xehanort had beaten him senseless. 

He was groggy and ached despite not being able to pin what it was that hurt. 

“Hey. How do you feel?” 

Vanitas’ jerked, looking up at Squall sitting in a chair by his bedside. His elbows were resting against the edge of the bed and only then did Vanitas realize he was holding onto his hand. In his sleep, he’d ended up clinging to his dad. His...dad?

“I’m…” Vanitas looked at him, knowing quickly something bad had happened. “I don’t know.” 

Squall smiled warily. “That’s okay. It was a rough moment.” 

“It was?” Vanitas muttered, throat already feeling tight. “What happened?” He asked even though he knew. His memories. No, they weren’t his memories. They were Ventus’ memories. He was looking at Squall and couldn’t shake the memory of this same man bending down to pick up a child and holding them close. 

Despite the memory in his own head he couldn’t reconcile that child being him. It hadn’t him _him_ snuggling up against Squall, face pressed against his neck. 

“It seems Ventus’ memories returning affected you as well.” Squall said, speaking quietly. 

“Yeah. Yeah. Right.” He swallowed, he knew all that. 

“Hey.” Squall squeezed his hand, thumb tapping his knuckles. “It’s okay. I’ve had memories recently thrown at me too. I know how disorienting it is. Cloud has had his head scrambled a few times too. We get it. You don’t have to do anything but...slowly adjust.” 

“I’m not Ventus.” he said calmly, ...too calmly. 

“I know. You are Vanitas. You’re still my son.” 

Vanitas was shaking his head back and forth over and over and couldn’t seem to find the words. Dad didn’t understand. Squall. Squall, not dad. He was Ven’s dad.

The fact that he’d been calling him dad for weeks now just confused him. 

“Vanitas.” Squall’s free and came up to rest on his shoulder. “Take a deep breath, and understand nothing has changed. Not really. You are still ours just like before. Just like Roxas and Xion. Just like Ventus and Sora.” 

“But i’m not real.” Vanitas said, his voice cracking. Didn't Squall understand that? He wasn't real.

Squall hummed and poked his shoulder once. “Feels real to me.” 

“I’m not… I’m not really your son.” Vanitas swallowed, working himself up into a panic. Mocha appeared next to him in a proof, butting his head against Vanitas' hip. “Ventus.. He’s the one…” 

“Who’s been in here constantly.” Squall finished. “You’ve been asleep for four days.” 

Vanitas blinked, breathing feeling hard. “Four?” 

“Yeah. We thought it the best way to calm you. Since Ventus woke up he’s been in here with you. He’s been worried. The only one more worried has been Naminé. She’s also been in here pretty constantly.” 

“Why…?” 

“I guess both feel responsible in their own way. They wanted to be here for you.” Ventus had bounced back after being awake for several hours but he stayed in Radiant Garden. He wasn’t going to leave until they were sure Vanitas was okay. 

There was likely another hefty talk between them on the horizon. 

Poor Naminé had been borderline distraught and oddly enough, it was Riku that had come to talk to her. He’d reminded her that they’d been through this before. Waiting for Sora to wake up had been long and hard but they’d made it. 

This would turn out just as well without the year long wait. He was probably the only person who could have said that to her that she would believe. 

“It’s what family does.” Squall offered. “Xion and Roxas both came to check on you. Sora laid beside you for a good six or seven hours.” 

Vanitas didn’t know what to think. Feelings were confusing, positive ones especially but, did this count as positive, this grief in his chest? It hurt.

“I don’t have a family.” 

“You do, and it’s right here when you want it.” Squall said, knowing it was hard on the kid. He’d had similar feelings himself once.

There was a long moment where Vanitas said nothing, just looked around the room helplessly and pretended he wasn’t still holding onto Squall’s hands. He was allowed a moment of weakness. He had to be…

“Where is everyone?” he finally asked, voice just like a whisper. 

“Cloud dragged them out for a few hours. Making them patrol around Radiant Garden and get their heads on straight.” Squall explained. It had taken a lot of convincing too. “Figures you’d wake while they were gone but that’s all the better for you. Gives you a moment to breathe.” 

Vanitas couldn’t argue that one. “I don’t...know what i’m doing.” Who was he supposed to be?

“You and everyone else kid. Finding a path in life is a serious pain in the ass.” 

That almost had Vanitas cracking a smile. He remembered all too clearly the night before...er, several nights before. He’d cried all over Squall in a pathetic display but he was still here. Squall and Cloud were proving over and over again that Xehanort had just been a master, and a terrible one at that. He’d never been anything close to a father. 

“C’mon.” Squall said, gently tugging Vanitas to lean against him. It was almost worrisome how pliant the teen was. “We have a little time before they get back. Just relax, and focus on yourself. That’s not a bad thing, you know?” 

“Mm..” Vanitas muttered, petting Mocha who was now in his lap. His face was once again pressed against Squall’s shoulder. He felt oddly safe. 

“I’m sorry this blindsided you so.” Squall muttered, “But we're gonna be around when you need us.” Vanitas didn’t respond, but he didn’t really have to. 

He needed Squall now and here he was. Like a parent. Vanitas closed his eyes again and let himself be held. He stupidly thought he could go to sleep right here, just like that old memory of the child Squall used to rock back and forth. 

Neither had a reason to move, not yet.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if the déjà vu annoying but well... that was sorta the point. 
> 
> Series Order 
> 
> Gifts  
> A Home that Heals  
> First Adventure  
> Tourney  
> Broken Chain  
>  **Secrets Kept**  
>  Design Time. (set during chapter 5 of Secrets Kept)   
> Impart your Wisdom  
> Reunions  
> Split Chain  
> Look to the Rain (Flashback scenes set about 8 years prior)  
> Breakthrough  
> Misfits


End file.
